Is a linguistics and language studies degree from UT Arlington worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 54% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 72%. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several Texas programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.

UT Arlington Linguistics and Language Studies (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: How much debt do UT Arlington linguistics and language studies graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $16,833, which ranks 2nd lowest of 6 linguistics and language studies bachelor's programs in Texas. That works out to about $178 a month over 10 years.

Q: Do UT Arlington linguistics and language studies graduates stay in Texas?

Most do. 109% (25 of 23) were working in Texas one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services
Public university
Arlington, TX
About 25 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

UT Arlington linguistics and language studies graduates earn about what linguistics and language studies graduates earn nationally, $30,895 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $16,833 in federal loans, less than at 79% of linguistics and language studies programs in the country. Strong value, but not one of the highest-paying linguistics and language studies degrees in Texas.

First-year earnings$30,89570th percentile of 80 programs nationally

Median federal debt$16,8332nd lowest of 6 Texas programs

Debt-to-earnings54%Texas median 65%, national 72%

How it compares

Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The Texas and national columns are the medians across all linguistics and language studies bachelor's programs that report the figure.

	UT Arlington	Texas	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$30,895	$31,444	$27,539
Median federal debt at graduation	$16,833	$20,162	$20,824
Debt as share of first-year pay	54%	65%	72%
Programs compared		6	80

Debt and first-year pay at every Texas linguistics and language studies program

Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the Texas medians.

UT ArlingtonOther Texas programs

Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $178 a month, or 6.9% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

109% of graduates (25 of 23) were working in Texas one year after graduating. Prices in the Dallas area are about 3% above the national average, so a $30,895 salary here buys what about $29,969 buys in a typical US city.

Careers this field leads to

These are the jobs that the federal crosswalk from fields of study to occupations links to linguistics and language studies, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.

Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education

$63,590

Median pay in Texas. 111,660 people work in this job in Texas. Nationally, jobs are projected to stay about the same in number from 2025 to 2035, with about 63,500 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $50,410Top 10%: $78,020

Interpreters and Translators

$47,510

Median pay in Texas. 6,780 people work in this job in Texas. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 2% from 2025 to 2035, with about 6,000 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $31,500Top 10%: $89,140

About UT Arlington

In-state tuition and fees	$11,950 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$29,582 / year
Average net price after aid	$13,951 / year
Admission rate	80%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	54%
Undergraduate students	32,294

Linguistics and Language Studies ranks 40th of 48 bachelor's programs at UT Arlington by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($85,513), Computer Science ($84,759), and Computer Engineering ($81,226).

Other linguistics and language studies bachelor's programs near Arlington

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
UT ArlingtonArlington, TX · public		$30,895	$16,833
UT DallasRichardson, TX · public	27 mi	$31,993	$23,156
UNTDenton, TX · public	33 mi	$20,522	$20,824

Common questions

The median graduate earns $30,895 one year after graduating. The median across linguistics and language studies bachelor's programs in Texas is $31,444.

About this data

Earnings and debt only include students who received federal financial aid (grants or loans).
Earnings only count graduates who were working and not enrolled in more school. Graduates who went straight to further study are not included.
Debt only includes federal loans. Private loans and credit cards are not counted.
Some schools with several campuses report one combined figure for all of them. We count each of those schools once, and leave them out of Texas comparisons when their main campus is in another state.
Scorecard figures describe graduating classes from several years ago. BLS wages are from May 2025.
School-level numbers like tuition, admission rate, and graduation rate are for the whole school, not the linguistics and language studies program.

Sources

U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study and institution files, June 2026 release
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk, and IPEDS institution directory, 2024

Linguistics and Language Studies bachelor's programs in Texas, ranked6 programs by pay and debt Linguistics and Language Studies bachelor's programs in the US, ranked80 programs by pay and debt All UT Arlington programs, ranked48 programs by pay and debt